‘Did That Really Happen?’: Penn State Fraternity Member Describes What Led to Student’s Death

Last week, dozens of charges were filed against the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and its members, for the February death of Penn State University student Timothy Piazza. Piazza died two days after a fraternity event where prosecutors say Piazza drank too much and fell down a flight of stairs, only for fraternity brothers to allegedly wait 12 hours before alerting authorities.

One of the fraternity brothers, Kordel Davis, tried to get other students to help Piazza, but he says they ignored his suggestions, and even shoved him into a wall.

Davis sat down for an interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” on Monday to describe what happened. Davis said that when he first saw Piazza passed out on a couch, others were laughing, saying Piazza had too much to drink. When someone mentioned that Piazza had fallen down the stairs, Davis said he checked Piazza’s pulse and said, “He needs to be at the hospital right now. We should call 911.” Davis said other students told him he was overreacting.

“I felt useless,” Davis said. He acknowledged that he too had been drinking that night. He said that as a result of everyone else being against him, “I was manipulated into believing everything was going to be fine.”

Eighteen fraternity brothers are facing charges related to Piazza’s death, but Davis has not been charged.

“This was a preventable tragedy,” Davis said.

The Beta Theta Pi International Fraternity suspended and disbanded the Penn State chapter in the weeks after Piazza’s death. In a statement from their lawyer after charges were filed against the now-former members, the international fraternity said, “The nature of those charges are incredibly disheartening as the organization and its membership continue to grieve Tim’s passing and the pain experienced by his family.”